New All-Star Brandon League, wife expecting child ‘any day’

Brandon League is an All-Star for the first time. (Photo by Otto Greule Jr/Getty Images)

Brandon League’s wife is pregnant with their third child. She is due on July 20, but plans have been made to induce labor on July 13.

That would be one day after dad appears in his first career All-Star Game.

League isn’t sure when to expect the birth. His wife, Sasha, has been having contractions all week, and League said the couple has been informed by doctors that the child could come “any day now.”

Of course, after being named to the American League All-Star team on Sunday along with teammate and reigning AL Cy Young award winner Felix Hernandez, League is hoping for a birth schedule that will allow him to be alongside his wife during delivery while still allowing for a trip to Phoenix for the July 12 All-Star game.

League, who already has two young daughters, said he called his wife first after being told he’d been selected.

“All-Star game, as great of an honor as it is, family comes first,” League said. “We’ll have to see what happens. Whether it be heading into the All-Star break … as much of an honor and big deal the All-Star game is, I’d rather miss that game than our games.”

It’s League’s selection to the team that has to be most impressive – if not surprising – to those in the Mariners organization. Hernandez, of course, is generally regarded as perhaps the best pitcher in baseball, and his 8-7 record and 3.35 ERA were enough to carry him to his second career selection.

But League wasn’t even supposed to be the team’s full-time closer this season. David Aardsma appeared close to returning from offseason labrum surgery when he began a rehab assignment in the minors in late April, but had to be shut down after straining his ulnar collateral ligament.

So here’s League, his 21 saves tied with Mariano Rivera for best in the American League, that three-blown-save Baltimore swoon well behind him as he prepares for his first All-Star appearance.

“As many tight games as we’ve had this year, he’s been right there and stood tall through all of that,” manager Eric Wedge said. “You’re not going to be perfect, but what I do love about Leaguer is he had a tough couple of days there but he was able to stand up to it, face it head on and come back and even be better after that.”

Indeed, it was hard to imagine League as an All-Star back in mid-May, when he suffered losses in four consecutive appearances and blew three straight save opportunities.

But Wedge stuck with him and League recovered. He hasn’t blown a save or lost a game since.

“This year has been a definite learning experience,” League said. “I’ve learned a lot about myself, a lot about the job. I’ll carry that with me the rest of my career.”